Garment hanger



April 14, 1936. J. MCB. KNOTE GARMENT HANGER Original Filed Dec. 16, 1933 VENTQ TTORN Patented Apr. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF! Application December 16, 1933, Serial No. 702,650 Renewed September 11, 1935 7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the conventionalgarment hanger which comprises a horizontally extending body or member supported by a hook extending upwardly from its middle portion, and the invention consists in certain novel features added to such prior construction and constituting further improvements on that shown and described in mycopending application Ser. No. 682,572, filed July 28, 1933, of which this application is a continuation in part.

The best form of apparatus at present known to me embodying my invention, together with certain modifications thereof, are-illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a garment hanger of composite construction, and

Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a modified construction, and

Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross section of a further modification of the broad principle of construction embodied in all the forms shown in the drawing, and

Fig. 6 is a cross section on line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

ters indicate like parts.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the usual curved member indicated generally at l forms the body of the hanger which is supported by means of the usual hooked member 2. Such body member has the elongated projections generally indicated at 3, 3, on its upper surface, said projections resulting from the formation of the relatively wide notches in said upper surface as indicated at 6, 6. The projections preferably have the particular contour described in my said co-pending application, in that a portion at least of the upper surface of each of such elongated knobs slopes toward the middle, or point of suspension, of the member I, such sloping occurring with reference to the general curve of the contour of the upper surface of the member I taken as a whole. This sloping of a portion of the upper surface of each projection 3, 3, is indicated at 4, 4, The result is that the other ends of such knobs form two series of teeth-like projections 1, I, on the upper surface of the hanger body, which said projections face outward, i. e. away from the middle point, which is the point of suspension of said hanger.

Preferably, also, said projections 3, 3, have the cross section shown in Fig. 2, being provided with outwardly and upwardly flaring sides 5, 5, to produce the botton-like contour for the purposes explained in my said prior application, but other Throughout the drawing like reference characconfiguration of such button-like projections may be employed.

I have found that when one undertakes to make, in quantity, garment hangers of this general contour out of wood, it is sometimes diflicult to get wooden strips in all of which the grain will run in the proper direction at all points so as to avoid the splitting off of some of the extreme projecting portions, and consequently it is advisable to have the upper surface of such hanger body made of some composition which is devoid of any grain. When this is done, however, with the compositions best suited for molding in the special shape required, the resultant product may lack strength. It is, therefore, the object of my present invention to overcome said last mentioned difliculty by giving such composition hangers cheap metal reinforcements. Thus the main portion ll of the hanger body I may be molded out of a cheap, hard rubber composition, or out of any suitable phenol condensation product, and then slid endwise into a thin, metal reinforcing sleeve l 0, which latter has a wide slot in its upper wall above which the button-like projections 3, 3, project. This composition body I I may be molded around the shank of the hook 2, as shown. The sleeve l0 may also be placed in the mold and the plastic mass for forming the body ll forced into the sleeve as a part of the mold.

Another possible procedure is to mold the hanger body l3, shown in Figs. 3 and 4 around a steel reinforcing rod or rib l2, which extends lengthwise thereof. In both cases the buttonlike projections 3, 3, can be molded to any desired contour and will have smooth surfaces which will not injure the most delicate garment material, while at the same time the structure is strong enough to sustain the heaviest garments, singly or in groups.

If desired, metal buttons I l may be used having their shanks molded into the originally plastic material forming a composition body I5, as shown in Fig. 5. Such metal buttons may be also driven into the composition body I5, after it has been molded. This saves the cost of special dies for molding the serrated portions of the contour of the masses shown in Figs. 1 to 4. The comparatively low specific gravity of the molded hangers in all of these forms reduces the total weight of the structure, while said material gives the completed article a desirable bulkiness for properly supporting the garment.

Certain changes could be made in the details of construction and conformation of the preferred embodiments of the invention above described without departing from the underlying principle and substance thereof as hereinbefore explained and hereinafter defined in the appended claims.

To further lighten the weight of the structural form of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 6, the under portion of section H of the hanger body may be cut away so as to form spaces l6, shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the two parts of the hanger body being held together by pins I8 passing through lugs 11 in the molded section.

The phenol condensation products hereinbefore mentioned are particularly advantageous for use in my invention because the molded bodies thereof I employ practically do not absorb moisture, and always present dry, polished surfaces to which dust and other particles suspended in the atmosphere will not adhere when deposited thereon. Consequently there is little or no accumulation of dirt on the hangers to soil garments afterwards hung upon them, and any perspiration or other moisture in the garment will not soften and/or roughen the hanger surface in contact therewith. The slipperiness of such polished surfaces, however, renders necessary the employment of a special serrated form for the molded material, such as here shown.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a garment hanger adapted to be supported from a point substantially midway of its length, the upper surface of which has a general contour of slight curvature downwardly and away from the said point of support but interrupted at points each V spaced apart a considerable distance one from another by a plurality of relatively narrow cross slots dividing said upper surface into a corresponding plurality of relatively long, tooth-like projections, certain of which projections located on either side of the point of support have the end portions of their upper surfaces which are nearer said point of support sloping slightly downward toward the same, while the remainder of said upper surfaces conform to the general contour first-above mentioned; whereby the supporting straps or other portions of a garment carried by such hanger will be supported substantially continuously by the upper surfaces of said projections and may slide smoothly over the same away from the mid-portion of said hanger, but will encounter a mild resistance therefrom against any movement toward said hanger midportion.

2. An article such as defined in claim 1, the upper portion and surfaces of which are made of a molded body of polished, non-absorbent material.

3. An article such as defined in claim 1, the upper portion and surfaces of which are made of a molded body of phenol condensation products.

4. An article such as defined in claim 1, the upper portion and surfaces of which are made of a molded body of polished, non-absorbent material, while the lower portion of said body is set in a channel-member of metal in which a supporting hook for the entire structure is fastened.

5. An article of manufacture such as defined in claim 1 in which the upper portions of said teeth flare upwardly and laterally in cross sec-.. tion; whereby a series of buttonlike knobs are formed on each of which a separate garment may be hung.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a garment hanger adapted to be supported from a point substantially midway of its length, the upper surface of which has a general contour of slight curvature downwardly and away from the said point of support but interrupted at points each spaced apart a considerable distance one from another by a plurality of relatively narrow cross slots dividing said upper surface into a corresponding plurality of relatively long, tooth-like projections, said structure comprising an upper body of polished, non-absorbent, originally plastic material set in a lower channel-member made of smooth-surfaced metal, together with a supporting hook, the shank of which passes through said molded body and is fastened in said channelmember.

'7. An article of manufacture such as defined in claim 6 in which the upper portions of said teeth flare upwardly and laterally in cross section; whereby a series of buttonlike knobs are formed on each of which a separate garment may be hung.

JOHN MCBRIDE KNOTE. 

